


Something to Live For

by Angelwire



Series: From Artifice [12]
Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén
Genre: Affection, Banter, F/F, Gen, Massage, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 18:04:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21201842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelwire/pseuds/Angelwire
Summary: Against the odds, here you still are. Now you have to live with the promise you made.





	1. Dawn of a New Day

The way your body instinctually urges you to stretch is what first keys you into it. The fact that you're awake now. The fact that you're still alive.

That's odd.

You don't remember any nightmares from last night, either.

That's odd too.

It's a new day, today. Your anticipated session with Lady Argent was just last night. Now... now you're still here. Somehow. Not like you could just go find another bridge to jump off, not after that, so you suppose it makes sense. That doesn't mean you're safe though. You just revealed your identity to someone, to the one person who should have presented the most danger in that scenario. Is she going to tell? Argent? No. You know what she wants now. She'll be waiting for you, next time you stop by to visit the Rangers. Honestly, you're not sure how to deal with Ortega there yet, how much you should keep hiding, but at the very least you know you're probably not getting ratted out yet.

Huh. You almost feel hopeful for once.

The dawn of a new day never looked as good as this.


	2. And New Responsibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now see it carried through. Now do your best for her. The rest can wait.

"You came after all," the silvery woman notes as she stares you down, all traces of prior intimacy erased from her face (not her heart).

"Of course," you shift your weight defiantly. "I promised. Is my word not good enough?"

Another lopsided smirk. "Maybe not yours. Maybe you're the type of person who needs to do extra to convince me." That didn't... oh, was she poking fun at you being a villain? Here? Christ.

At least she was a bit discreet about it. At least the two of you were alone, such a rare opportunity as it was. Ortega would have brought you somewhere quieter, less likely to have people barging in on, but Argent seems content with more blatant displays, a fact which sets you on edge. What _if_ Ortega was here? What if she _saw_? You couldn't handle making her think you were... what, ditching her? Cheating on her? You weren't even dating, let alone exclusive, but the possibility still bothered you whenever it came to mind. Like now.

"Alright, how can I convince you?" You'll play ball.

"Hmph. You're less fun without the defiance."

That draws a giggle from you. "What, do you wanna pin me up against the wall again? Choke me out some more?"

"No, because you never make it _fun_," she pouts, not quite succeeding at hiding the smile. "Besides, we're not here for your masochism, Serra Bui."

Still doing that, huh? Always felt like she was chastising you in some way, using your full name like that. She probably was. That was the pattern you'd established thus far, after all.

"Well... I'm here for you," you let slip out, "so you're right about that. What do you want me to do?"

Argent eyes you closely. Now her own features match yours, the restraint, the lighthearted banter, letting it be replaced with something else. You still exercise a great deal of restraint keeping your mind pulled away from hers. You want to give her that respect, even when it leaves you mostly in the dark about what she's thinking and feeling. Mostly.

_What a loud woman_, you find yourself thinking, mulling over the bleedthrough of her wants through your shielding. Standing too close?

"I have some digging I wanted to do," Argent finally says, crossing her arms. "Online, for the moment."

"You need help with that?" you raise an eyebrow.

"Hah," she barks, "no. Don't make me remind you what exactly you promised." Wait, she's... she's hesitant to say it out loud. Wants you to know it yourself. Huh.

"Let me guess, you want me to massage your shoulders while you work?"

"...Yes."

You blink twice. "Really?"

"Something along those lines. Be creative, _Bui_," ooh, even harsher. "Come on, I'll show you where I work. At least for stuff like this."

Feels odd, being led along by someone who isn't Ortega. It reminds you of the first time she brought your through their headquarters, showing you her office... all the things you did in that office... And she wouldn't ever let it go if she knew you still thought about it, you're well aware.

It's different this time, though. A different hand guiding you. A different intention when you get there. A purer one. You're here for her benefit, and only her benefit. Maybe that's why she trusts you enough to show you this now? You can't exactly help wearing your heart on your sleeve now when it comes to... certain people. Including her. Seems like Argent can recognize that.

"Ortega's got her own office, and this is not as secure as that, but," announces Argent as she opens a heavily secured door for you, "it's good enough. I don't use it enough to bother tinkering with it all that much, unlike Ortega and her damn fixation."

"And what would you rather be doing than tinkering?"

You feel the familiar, predatory grin on her lips before she turns to let you see it. "I'd have thought you'd know the answer to that by now." She's right. You do.

Now into the shark's den.

The room is as bare and utilitarian as you expected, going into this. Argent wasn't one to bother with such trappings in a space like this. Not even _windows_. No, all it needed was a bunch of wires apparently. A pair of desks smushed up next to each other dominated the center of the room, three separate monitors between them and a host of insulated wiring to connect it all up. Several redundant outlets, a secured jack and some dedicated encryption hardware... all decentralized, it looks like. Trying to prevent one breach from compromising the rest of the setup. Not that different from your own station, back at your private building.

"It's a mess in here," you observe.

"Don't trip on anything, or I'll beat your ass."

"Don't tempt me."

The glance she gives you for that one is brief, much more concerned as she seems to be with making her way over to her very well padded chair. That, of all things, is what really stands out to you now. The rest of the room looks like _this_ but she splurges on a chair? In any case, you follow obediently behind, careful to echo where her feet step so as to not mess anything up. By the time you're behind her, she's already sitting down.

"I'll avoid looking at the monitors if you want your privacy," you offer, glancing between them.

"If I wanted my privacy, I wouldn't have invited you back here," she huffs in response. "But thank you."

Whatever it is that Argent's researching doesn't interest you much at the moment anyways. Really, if it was vital to you, there's no way you'd be standing in this room in the first place, so that precluded the possibility of getting anything good out of this. That was the logic here. Logic wasn't why you offered, though. Logic wasn't why you tried your best not to pick up on too much of Argent's feelings, her thoughts, anything that intrudes on her without her consent. Compensating for your utter violation, maybe. Not that that could counterbalance it even in a million years.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Oh," you snap back to the present, "right. Sorry. So, um..." your hands drift over Argent's shoulders, not quite making contact yet, your eyes roving across every inch of her.

"What?"

"Is it alright to touch you?"

She snorts in that familiar way. "How else are you going to do this?"

"Sorry. Just want to be sure..." You still hesitate. "Is skin okay, too?"

"Yes," sighs Argent.

She isn't wearing her skinsuit here, the attire you're most used to seeing her in. Now it's all off. She without a skinsuit, you without a battlesuit... together. Playing at being friends. That's all it was, right? Playing to make it a bit easier on both of you as you fulfill your promise to her. She didn't like you before now, after all. She liked Eidolon. What does she see you as, without the mask? Does she still see the villain she sparred with so many times, flirted with, kissed in full view of the world? Or does she see Serra, a disappointing truth, a core she wishes she hadn't reached?

The fabric yields beneath your fingertips as you press down into Argent's shoulders, playing it safe for now. She feels so much softer than she has any right to. Like any other person, except flawless and without blemish. And she's warm, too. It doesn't take long for you to get into the groove of it, working your digits into all the soft spots you know you enjoy for yourself, and Argent can't seem to help but lean into it a bit. Good. You're doing your job. But you make sure not to get cocky about it. You pay attention to what prompts more reactions in her body, in her throat (oh god she actually moaned a little just then, didn't she?), you pay attention and you give her exactly what she says she wants. It feels so gratifying.

"Is this what you were hoping for?" you ask, your own tone surprising yourself. It's almost affectionate. Or not 'almost'. Fuck.

"Don't let it get to your head, Serra."

"I won't," you chuckle. Your fingers begin roaming upward, to the base of her skull. "But yours..."

"Mmm," responds a stiffened Argent. Did you do something wrong? She isn't telling you to stop. Slowly, cautiously, you begin rubbing circles into her flesh there, pressing in a little harder, and you could swear the silver woman melts into a mercury puddle in response.

You quickly forget time's passage, lose yourself in it, in the task you have in front of you. You're not really sure how long you've spent just focused on her body, her skin, her hair, but eventually you realize the infrequent sounds of mouse clicks or keys being pressed have faded away entirely. Argent isn't researching anything now. What. She's... she's just enjoying this. Leaning into you. Breathing. Breathing harder when you hit the right spot. Groaning. Your heartbeat is getting faster now, too. You can't stop thinking about-

You just do.

You lean down, and press a kiss into Argent's head.

She doesn't react how you were anticipating, either. There's no chiding, no pulling away. Not until the chair she's sitting in turns to allow her to face you.

Argent... is blushing. You think that goes for the both of you.

"Finish your research?" you extend the question gently, both for your curiosity and for a distraction.

"Not yet," she admits. "You're doing a shit job."

"I... I am, huh." Should have known. Fuck. You fucking ass. Stupid, presumptuous ass. You should leave before you can mess things up even more here, you should, you should because she has to want that now, right?

Argent seems to read something in your expression, in the words you use, because her voice starts to return the affection you gave her earlier as she says, "Yeah. I can't concentrate on anything except you. Feels too nice."

"R-really? ...Do you want me to stop?"

"Just rub my shoulders until I'm done here," she curtly instructs you. "We'll see what happens afterwards."

This is rapidly turning into the most agonizing and exciting massage you've ever given someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i told myself i wouldnt continue along this path until i at least filled in more of the timeline for Serra but like. here i am.
> 
> head's hazy, can't stop obsessively writing fanfic, can't concentrate on the actual novel im supposed to be writing, fuck me
> 
> i love argent tho


End file.
